Combination storage rack

ABSTRACT

A combination storage rack includes a plurality of upright supports each formed of a plurality of bamboo rods equiangularly arranged around the periphery and a plurality of spacer blocks fixedly mounted in the bamboo rods at different elevations to keep the bamboo rods apart from one another, a plurality of tapered locating members respectively fastened to the upright supports and supported on the spacer blocks, and a plurality of rack panels that have tapered through holes for the passing of the upright supports and for engagement with the tapered locating blocks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(a) Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a storage rack and more particularly,to a combination storage rack that uses multi-angle upright supportswith tapered locating blocks to support rack panels.

(b) Description of the Prior Art

Wood, plastics, and many other materials are selectively used for makingdisplay racks, storage racks or partition screens. In order to show anantique sense of beauty, bamboo or wood material is the best choice formaking storage racks.

Conventionally, a bamboo or wooden storage rack is comprised of aplurality of upright supports and a plurality of rack panels horizontalfastened to the upright supports at different elevations for holdingthings. The rack panels are affixed to the upright supports with screwsor with screw bolts and nuts. It is quite inconvenient to assemble ordisassemble this design of bamboo or wooden storage rack i.e., thisdesign does not lend itself to the DIY concept.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary purpose of the present invention is to provide a combinationstorage rack which can easily and rapidly be assembled and disassembled.

To achieve this and other objects of the combination storage rackcomprises a plurality of upright supports each formed of a plurality ofbamboo rods equiangularly arranged around the periphery and a pluralityof spacer blocks fixedly mounted in the bamboo rods at differentelevations to keep the bamboo rods apart from one another, a pluralityof tapered locating members respectively fastened to the uprightsupports and supported on the spacer blocks, and a plurality of rackpanels that have tapered through holes for the passing of the uprightsupports and for engagement with the tapered locating blocks.

In one embodiment of the present invention, each upright supportcomprises four rectangular bamboo rods arranged in four corners in aparallel manner. Further, the spacer blocks are fixedly mounted in thebamboo rods such that the cross section of each upright support at eachspacer block shows a substantially

shaped configuration. Further, the tapered locating blocks are shapedlike a truncated cone, each formed of two symmetrical halves. Each halfof each tapered locating block comprises two vertical mounting groovesadapted for receiving two bamboo rods of one upright support, and amounting rib defined between the two vertical mounting grooves andadapted for engaging into the space between the two bamboo rods that areengaged into the two vertical mounting grooves of one tapered locatingblock.

In another embodiment of the present invention, each spacer blockcomprises a plurality of vertical mounting grooves equiangularly spacedaround the periphery thereof. Further, the bamboo rods of each uprightsupport are respectively fastened to the vertical mounting grooves ofthe spacer blocks of the respective upright support and kept in flushwith the periphery of the associating spacer blocks. Further, eachtapered locating block is formed of two symmetrical halves that fit overthe periphery of the associating upright support. Each half of eachtapered locating block comprises at least one mounting rib protrudedfrom an inside wall thereof and fitted in the gap between two bamboorods of the associating upright support.

By means of the aforesaid arrangement, the upright supports, the taperedlocating blocks and the rack panels can easily and detachably befastened together, forming a storage rack without any tool or fasteningdevices. When not in use, the rack panels and the tapered locatingblocks can be directly detached from the upright supports without anytool. Therefore, the design of the present invention lends itself verywell to the DIY concept.

The foregoing object and summary provide only a brief introduction tothe present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects ofthe present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detaileddescription of the invention and the claims should be read inconjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specificationand drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similarparts.

Many other advantages and features of the present invention will becomemanifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to thedetailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which apreferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of thepresent invention is shown by way of illustrative example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a part of a combination storage rack inaccordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, showing thestructure of the upright support and the tapered locating block.

FIG. 2 is an elevational assembly view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic elevational assembly view of the combinationstorage rack according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional lateral view of a part of the firstembodiment of the present invention, showing tapered locating blocksfastened to upright supports before mounting of a rack panel.

FIG. 5 is a sectional lateral plain view of a part of the firstembodiment of the present invention, showing rack panels fastened to theupright supports and supported on tapered locating blocks at the uprightsupports.

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the combination storage rack accordingto the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of an upright support of a combinationstorage rack in accordance with a second embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 8 corresponds to FIG. 7, showing the relationship between the twosymmetrical halves of one tapered locating block and the uprightsupport.

FIG. 9 is an elevational assembly view of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is an elevational view of the combination storage rack accordingto the second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following descriptions are of exemplary embodiments only, and arenot intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of theinvention in any way. Rather, the following description provides aconvenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of theinvention. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made inthe function and arrangement of the elements described without departingfrom the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Referring to the annexed drawings in detail, a combination storage rackin accordance with the present invention is shown comprising a pluralityof upright supports 1 (see FIG. 1), a plurality of tapered locatingblocks 2 (see FIGS. 1 and 2), and a plurality of rack panels 3 (see FIG.3).

Each upright support 1 comprises four rectangular bamboo rods 11arranged in four corners in a parallel manner, and a plurality of spacerblocks 12 fixedly mounted in the bamboo rods 11 at different elevationsand alternatively extending in X-axis and Y-axis directions to space thebamboo rods 11 from one another. When viewed from one end, each uprightsupport 1 shows a substantially

shaped configuration. Further, the spacer blocks 12 can be affixed tothe bamboo rods 11 by means of adhesive bonding or fastening means.

The tapered locating blocks 2 are shaped like a truncated cone, eachformed of two symmetrical halves 21. Each half 21 has two verticalmounting grooves 212 adapted for receiving two bamboo rods 11 of oneupright support 1, and a mounting rib 211 defined between the twovertical mounting grooves 212 and adapted for engaging into the spacebetween the two bamboo rods 11 that are engaged into the two verticalmounting grooves 212.

The rack panels 3, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, are rectangular panelsformed of a bamboo frame and a plurality of bamboo strips, each having atapered through hole 31 in each of the four corners thereof. The taperedthrough hole 31 has a diameter fitting the tapered locating blocks 2 andgradually reduced from the bottom side of the respective rack paneltoward the top side.

During installation, the tapered locating blocks 2 are respectivelyfastened to the upright supports 1 by means of forcing the verticalmounting grooves 212 of the two symmetrical halves 21 of each taperedlocating block 2 into engagement with the bamboo rods 11 of eachrespective upright support 1, and respectively stopped at the top sideof the spacer blocks 12 (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2). After onerespective locating block 2 has been fastened to each of the fourupright supports 1 and supported on the respective lowest spacer block12 of the associating upright support 1, the four upright supports 1 arerespectively inserted through the four tapered through hole 31 of onerack panel 3 to have the four tapered through hole 31 be respectivelyforced into positive engagement with the lowest spacer block 12 of eachof the four upright supports 1, and thereafter the other locating blocks2 and the other rack panels 3 are installed in the same manner in aproper order (see FIGS. 3-6). Further, hanging rods 4 are respectivelyhorizontally connected between two upright supports 1 for hangingthings.

FIGS. 7 10 show a combination storage rack in accordance with a secondembodiment of the present invention. According to this secondembodiment, each upright support 1 comprises a plurality of bamboo rods11 and a plurality of spacer blocks 12A. The spacer blocks 12A are flatcircular blocks, each having a plurality of mounting grooves 12B cutthrough the top and bottom sides thereof and equiangularly spaced aroundthe periphery. The bamboo rods 11 are respectively attached to themounting grooves 12B of the spacer blocks 12A and kept in flush with theperiphery of the spacer blocks 12A. Further, the two symmetrical halves21 of each tapered locating block 2 fit over the periphery of eachupright support 1, each having at least one, for example, one mountingrib 211 engaged into the space between two adjacent bamboo rods 11.After installation of the tapered locating blocks 2 in the uprightsupports 1, the tapered locating blocks 2 are respectively supported onthe spacer blocks 12A to hold the rack panels 3 firmly at differentelevations (see FIG. 10).

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or twoor more together may also find a useful application in other types ofmethods differing from the type described above.

While certain novel features of this invention have been shown anddescribed and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intendedto be limited to the details above, since it will be understood thatvarious omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the formsand details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be madeby those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spiritof the present invention.

1. A combination storage rack comprising: a plurality of upright supports, each said upright support comprising a plurality of bamboo rods equiangularly arranged around the periphery and a plurality of spacer blocks fixedly mounted in said bamboo rods at different elevations to keep said bamboo rods apart from one another; a plurality of tapered locating members respectively fastened to said upright supports and supported on said spacer blocks; and a plurality of rack panels horizontally fastened to said tapered locating blocks and said upright supports at different elevations, each said rack panel comprising a plurality of tapered through holes cut through top and bottom sides thereof for the passing of said upright supports and for engagement with said tapered locating blocks.
 2. The combination storage rack as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said upright support comprises four rectangular bamboo rods arranged in four corners in a parallel manner; said spacer blocks are fixedly mounted in the bamboo rods such that the cross section of each said upright support at each said spacer block shows a substantially

shaped configuration; said tapered locating blocks are shaped like a truncated cone, each formed of two symmetrical halves, each half of each said tapered locating block comprising two vertical mounting grooves adapted for receiving two bamboo rods of one said upright support, and a mounting rib defined between said two vertical mounting grooves and adapted for engaging into the space between the two bamboo rods that are engaged into the two vertical mounting grooves of one said tapered locating block.
 3. The combination storage rack as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said spacer block comprises a plurality of vertical mounting grooves equiangularly spaced around the periphery thereof; the bamboo rods of each said upright support are respectively fastened to the vertical mounting grooves of the spacer blocks of the respective upright support and kept in flush with the periphery of the associating spacer blocks; each said tapered locating block is formed of two symmetrical halves that fit over the periphery of the associating upright support, each half of each said tapered locating block comprising at least one mounting rib protruded from an inside wall thereof and fitted in the gap between two bamboo rods of the associating upright support. 